Chelsea eye move for 6ft 6in striker who rejected a move to Bundesliga – Reports

Chelsea are reportedly aiming to launch a move to rope in Charlton Athletic striker Miles Leaburn in the upcoming winter transfer window.

The Blues, who finished 12th in the Premier League with 44 points last campaign, spent over £49 million to sign two new number nines in the summer. While Nicolas Jackson has netted three goals in 10 games, Deivid Washington is yet to make an appearance for the club.

Now, according to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are keen to add to their striking depth in the January window. They are eyeing a transfer to lure Leaburn away from his EFL League One outfit due to his recent form.

However, Mauricio Pochettino's team is expected to face tough competition from Brentford in their pursuit of the 19-year-old. Aston Villa could also decide to join the race in light of their prior interest in the star.

Leaburn, who is 6ft 6in tall, has caught the attention of a number of clubs owing to his rise to stature since the start of last campaign. He has netted 19 goals and laid out four assists in 2749 minutes of first-team action, spread across 50 matches for Charlton Athletic so far.

A right-footed target man blessed with finishing and heading, the ex-Chelsea youth player was linked with a transfer away from Charlton earlier this summer. However, he opted to reject a £3 million transfer from an unnamed Bundesliga club to stay at Michael Appleton's side.

Chris Sutton makes prediction for Chelsea's Premier League home tie against Brentford

In his column for BBC, former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton predicted a 2-1 win for the Blues in their Premier League contest against Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (October 28). He wrote:

"Brentford ended a six-game winless streak by beating Burnley last time, but I feel Chelsea are improving every week. They haven't cracked it yet under Mauricio Pochettino, but they are getting there. They were probably the better team for most of their game with Arsenal, and ended up being disappointed with a draw."

The Blues, who are unbeaten in their last four matches across all competitions, are currently in 10th spot in the 2023-24 Premier League standings with 12 points from nine games. They will be hoping to return to winning ways after a 2-2 draw against Arsenal last Saturday.

Brentford, on the other hand, will be keen to make it three victories out of their last three trips to Stamford Bridge. Thomas Frank's outfit are 14th in the domestic table with 10 points from nine matches so far.